Rumour of Revival
by red mage1
Summary: Cloud stumbles across a rumor concering reviving Aeris. But can it be trusted?
1. The Flower Method

Cloud sat in front of the computer. Ever since the defeat of Sephiroth and Meteor, the technology Shinra possessed was now available for whoever wanted it. Using an old Shinra computer Red XIII and Bugenhagen fixed, Cloud logged onto the network.  
  
Was there any information here he could use? Cloud browsed over a list of popular sites, when one of them caught his eye: "Aeris Shrine." It only made sense that people would want to honor a fallen hero, especially one like Aeris. He clicked on the link.  
  
Fond memories came back to Cloud as he looked over the pictures and poems dedicated to Aeris. One section of the site, however, caught his eye. "How to revive Aeris."  
  
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HOW TO REVIVE ARIES  
  
1. Get 50 tissues from God Saucer  
  
2. Go pick a flower from Areis's garden by her house in Midgar  
  
3. Go to teh church in Midgar and put the flower on the flowerbed  
  
4. Sleep in the bed in the bed in the Forgotten City  
  
5. Throw a mastered Revive Materia in the water where Aeris was put to rest. It will turn inot a White Materia that you can revive Aeris with.  
  
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What in the world? It was possible to revive Aeris? This sounded strange, even illogical, but with an occult people like the Ancients this may even make sense. He had to get everyone else to look at this.  
  
"Tifa! You've got to look at his!"  
  
Tifa opened the door and walked in. "What is it, Cloud?"  
  
Cloud pointed at the screen. "This. It says we can revive Aeris."  
  
"What?"  
  
The next day, the old group was gathered in Cloud's villa. Cloud cut straight to the point as he showed everyone the website. The others looked at it, and gave their opinions.  
  
"I for one don't believe it," said Red XIII. "Aeris has returned to the Lifestream. It was her soul that summoned Holy. She has passed on."  
  
"She's gone, Cloud," said Barret. "And it don't help none tryin' fool things like this to bring her back."  
  
"Even if it is possible, should we?" asked Vincent. "Let the dead rest in peace."  
  
"Don't any of you care about Aeris?" Cloud implored. "This may not make much sense to us right now. It may not even be true. But all of us, we have a chance to bring back Aeris. Is there any harm in trying?"  
  
And so, they set off on the Quest to Revive Aeris. Step 1 was already taken care of, as Cloud still had a pocket load of tissues from the Battle Square of the Gold Saucer that he won as pathetic "consolation prizes." How ironic it would be if these tissues actually played a part in reviving Aeris, thought Cloud as the Highwind set course for Midgar.  
  
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa made their way to Aeris's house in Sector 5. Or at least, to where the house used to be. Meteor and Holy left precious little of Midgar standing. Thank goodness Elmyra and Marlene left long beforehand, reflected Barret as Cloud picked a flower from the untouched garden.  
  
The Sector 5 church was miraculous untouched by the recent Armageddon. Cloud solemnly placed the flower from the garden in the flowerbed. Cloud stayed at the flowerbed a bit longer. This is the same place he thought he saw Aeris after... Well, he may soon have the chance to see her again.  
  
Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent made up the party that ventured into the Forgotten City. Cloud led them to the bed where he slept right before Aeris was killed. Cloud lay down, but all the thoughts of Aeris swirling in his head made it hard for him to sleep. Finally, he did doze off, and took a short nap.  
  
Only one thing left to do... When Cloud arose, he walked to the Shell House where laid his dear friend Aeris to rest. Cloud looked down at the water, and tossed the green Revive Materia into the liquid.  
  
The green stone submerged under the water briefly, then floated back up to the top. It was still green. The three sat and watched the material for a few minutes, and not once did it do anything but float and stay green. Cloud looked up at the sky through a hole in the roof. What cruel person came up with this joke?  
  
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This humor's kind of dark for me. So, what do you think? I just got bored of all those "revive Aeris" rumors and wrote this little fic. 


	2. The Soldier Method

Cloud signed on to the network once again, this time with his friends still around. Many of them were skeptical reviving Aeris at first, and they were proved right. Cloud took another look at the website that said he could revive Aeris. Sure enough, it was still there, but now it had some more possible ways that Aeris could be brought back to life.  
  
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1. Get 35 1/35 Shinra soldiers from Gold Saucer.  
  
2. Mkae sure you've beat Diamond and Emrald W.E.A.P.O.N. S. Talk to the travler in Calm Town and trade him the soldiers for the Earth Harp back.  
  
3. Play the Earth Harp in Icicle Inn. The ghost of Dr. Gast will call you spoony and throw a rock at you.  
  
4. Take the rock to Bugenhagen. If you have all the Maester Materia, hel'l revive Aeris.  
  
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"The *$@# ?" Cid spat out. "That's a load."  
  
"Spoony?" repeated Yuffie, scratching her head. "This doesn't look like it'll work."  
  
Cloud stood up. "I know the last one didn't work, but it might this time. What if this is the truth? Who's coming with me?"  
  
The woman working at Speed Square in Gold Saucer had seen some nutcases in her time, but these three took the cake. All day the spiky-haired blond guy, the girl who needed to wear a shirt, and the weird talking lion/tiger/wolf/whatever rode the roller coaster over and over, pocketing the 1/35 Solders being given away as prizes for high scores. One would think even an eccentric collector would stop after getting all twelve, or even getting two of each, but not these three.  
  
The train pulled into the station yet again, and three dizzy and slightly green people stumbled off. The girl eagerly took the 1/35 soldier in the hand of the assistant. "That's thirty-four," said the girl wearily. "One more to go."  
  
The red whatever-it-was mumbled as it moped to the ticket booth. "Flashing lights... bright colors... I think I'm starting to hallucinate."  
  
The blond lad nodded. "The Lifestream wasn't this bad."  
  
Later, the three sat aboard the Highwind as they made for Kalm Town. The Speed Square ordeal made Cloud's motion sickness return with a vengeance, Tifa poured Eye Drops into her bloodshot eyes to counteract her hopefully temporary vision problems, and Red wondered aloud why Holy didn't destroy that ride. This was a pain, but it would all be worth it if they could have Aeris back.  
  
The bald-headed man smiled as the people who helped make his life complete walked in. "Well, hello there. Nice seein' you again. What can I do you for?"  
  
Cloud pulled out the bag of soldiers. "We'll trade you all these for the Earth Harp back."  
  
"Hmm..." the man scratched his head. "Don't see much use for these, but then again I don't need the Earth Harp anymore either... Wait, there's that odd fellow I met at the bar who collects these things. He'd give his left arm for all of these, not that I'd have any use for that either, mind you..."  
  
Cloud sighed. "So do we have a deal?"  
  
"Sure thing." The man picked up the harp, which was beginning to gather dust, and handed it Cloud. Cloud sat the bag of miniature soldiers down, and turned to leave.  
  
"Is it just me," the man mused, "or does an underwater weapon of mass destruction creating by an ancient civilization carrying a musical instrument strike you as a bit odd?"  
  
Red XIII shook his head. "Compared to why we want the harp back, it seems very logical indeed."  
  
Disembarking off the Highwind, Cloud, Tifa, and Red XIII made their way into the cold, snowy village of Icicle Inn. Aeris was born here, and hopefully, if this plan wasn't a farce like the last one, she would soon be reborn. Cloud stood by the former home of Professor Gast, and began to softly strum on the Earth Harp.  
  
Cloud played away for what seemed like hours. Soon, the cold started playing tricks on mind. At times, he thought he saw a man in a labcoat walking toward him. Other times, he thought he heard the word "spoony." Finally, his fingers numb with cold, he sat down in the snow.  
  
"No! Not again! This... this can't be..."  
  
Tifa put her hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Come on Cloud, let's go home." 


	3. The Wrong Method

A disillusioned Cloud sat in front of his computer and typed an e-mail to the creator of the Aeris resurrection page. "Dear Sir, after two failures using your so-called resurrection methods, my friends and I have come to believe that there is no way to revive Aeris."  
  
His mouth hung open, however, when he saw the reply...  
  
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Yes, Virginia, there is a way to revive Aeris. It exists as certainly as the Topaz WEAPON and platinum chocobo and a way to get Sephiroth to join your party exist, and you know that it abounds and gives to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no way to revive Aeris! It would be as dreary as if there were no Clouds. There would be no third-rate Internet rumors, no fanfiction, no huge threads on message boards to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in plot development and symbolism. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.  
  
No way to revive Aeris! Thank Jenova! she lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, she will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.  
  
P. S. no more flamez plz :)  
  
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"Hmm..." Vincent read the message over Cloud's shoulder. "Looks plagiarized."  
  
Cloud just couldn't give up on Aeris without at least looking to see if the other methods were at least possible. He scrolled down the Rumors page, scanning as he went.  
  
"To revive Aeris, go to the center of the star-shaped mountain range..."  
  
"To revive Aeris, send 300,000 gil in an unmarked envelope to..."  
  
"To revive Aeris, have Tifa take a mastered Knights of the Round materia to the Honeybee Inn..."  
  
"To revive Aeris, fly around Cosmo Canyon 255 times..."  
  
Cloud banged his fist on the desk. If there was a way to revive Aeris, why did all these sound so stupid? Disgusted, he left the computer and went outside.  
  
As he sat alone looking at the sunset, he wondered why he even believed the rumors in the first place. Aeris had returned to the planet with Sephiroth's defeat. Yes, Aeris's death was a sad thing, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Now that Sephiroth and Jenova were destroyed, her death was avenged. The only thing he could go for her was let her memory rest in peace.  
  
Half a world away, in a dark cave, a man in a black cloak stood holding a small gray device. "This is it," he said with joy. "Yes. With this device, this GameShark, I can revive Sephiroth and conquer the world."  
  
He pressed a few buttons, then sat the device on the ground. The very floor of the cave broke open, and Mako Energy from the Lifestream concentrated itself before him. He could see the energy taking physical form inside the green whirlwind. From the swirling mass stepped a pink-clad flower girl, holding in her hand a small white flower.  
  
"Where... where am I?"  
  
The man picked up the GameShark. In frustration, the man hurled the thing into the cave wall, smashing it into a million pieces. "Stupid piece of junk."  
  
~ THE END  
  
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(Notes: Thank you for reading. The reply is a mangled version of the famous editorial by Francis P. Church. I hope you enjoyed my little anti-rumor fic.) 


End file.
